1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a head covering assembly having an insignia display portion on which at least one insignia representative of a sports team is affixed. More in particular, the head covering assembly comprises a sports helmet configuration and is constructed of a foldable weather resistant material. As such, the head covering assembly is a desirable item of apparel for fans of a particular sports team, especially while attending a live outdoor sporting event.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protective gear has been available to athletes participating in sporting activities for many years. In particular, protective headgear has been provided in an attempt to minimize serious and potentially fatal head injuries. As a result, a variety of helmets have been developed for persons participating in a wide range of sporting activities from bicycling to boxing to snowboarding. A number of specialized helmets have been developed for athletes participating in team contact sports such as football, hockey, lacrosse, cricket, and rugby, just to name a few. In addition, a number of specialized helmets have been developed which are utilized in other team sports, for example, a batting helmet worn by a baseball player.
As long as there have been team sports, there have also been fans of sports teams, and fans are well known to adorn themselves with, among other things, various items of apparel to show support for their sports team and/or player of choice. One such item commonly worn by fans is a standard baseball cap, as worn by baseball players in the field. Typically, these standard baseball caps include some form of insignia specific to a particular sports team such as, for example, the team color(s), logo, city, and/or name. In fact, standard baseball caps are often worn by fans of other sports, such as football and hockey, to show support for those teams, even though the players of these other sports wear rigid helmets, not baseball caps.
Among the reasons for this inconsistency in fan apparel is the fact that the rigid helmets worn by football players, hockey players, as well as certain other athletes, are not readily stored and transported to and from sporting events in the manner of the common baseball cap, which may be readily folded up and placed in the user's pocket. Further, with security concerns such as they are in today's society, facilities hosting such sporting events are not likely to condone massive numbers of fans donning protective head gear in their facility.
Among the products developed in an attempt to fill this void in a football fan's ability to emulate their favorite player and/or show support for their favorite team, is an oversized novelty football helmet constructed of a partially rigid foam material or having an inflatable configuration, and which may or may not include a face mask portion to further the effect. While these products generally comprise a shape similar to a football helmet, they are significantly oversized and may lack any indicia of any particular team, and thus, do not accurately emulate a football helmet of a favorite team. In addition, at least as to the foam embodiment, the product is even less amenable to storage and transport to and from a sporting event than an actual helmet, due to its exaggerated size. Further, the oversized nature of these products create a potential nuisance to one or more persons seated behind a fan wearing such a product at a public sporting event, which may create friction amongst the fans, a highly undesirable situation. Lastly, such novelty headgear provides little to no protection to the user from the elements, such as the cold and rain, which may be a significant factor, particularly at sporting events played in certain open air venues during certain times of the year.
At least one device has been structured to more closely resemble an actual football helmet and includes a composite construction having a resilient elastomeric foam core over which an exterior shell of an elastic fabric is adhered. The exterior elastic fabric shell may include various team colors and/or logos printed, painted, or applied thereon by decals. This device also provides for an additional lining of fleece or other fabric mounted to the interior of the helmet-like device to provide warmth to the user. In addition, this helmet-like device may include a face and/or mouth covering to provide added warmth and which may be structured to resemble a chin strap to further the resemblance of an actual football helmet. A removable face guard constructed to a “shape stable” plastic material may be removably attached to the helmet-like device, once again, to further the resemblance to an actual football helmet. This rigid (i.e. shape stable) face guard once again creates an impediment to storage and transport to and from a sporting event of the helmet-like device, particularly in view of the fact that the elastomeric foam core does not lend itself to being readily foldable, as is a standard baseball cap.
While the foregoing device addresses some of the concerns presented by the oversized novelty helmets, several concerns remain unaddressed while new ones are presented, not the least of which is the complex, composite, and expensive structure of the foregoing helmet-like device. Thus, it is apparent that it would be beneficial to provide a head covering assembly in the configuration of a sports helmet and having an insignia display portion, wherein the assembly comprises a unitary construction of a weather resistant material structured to protect a user from the elements, such as the cold and/or precipitation. It is also apparent that a unitary construction would be preferable for such a head covering assembly so as to avoid the complexity and expense of composite construction requiring a plurality of overlying and underlying layers as is required in some known devices. It would also be preferable for the unitary weather resistant material to be readily foldable so as to facilitate storage, as well as to facilitate transport to and from a sporting event. Additionally, it would be helpful to provide a head covering assembly including a primary member which is structured to accommodate the removable attachment of one or more auxiliary members, each being structured to further protect the user from the elements.